Commentary: Do teens care about Nutri-Grade labels on their favourite high-sugar drinks?

SINGAPORE: Do teenagers care about nudges that promote less sugary drinks? After all, the common perception is that we can get away with unbalanced diets and trendy drinks, more interested in which celebrities are plugging them than how much sugar they contain.

Since Dec 30, 2023, colour-coded Nutri-Grade labels for sugar and/or saturated fat content have been required on bubble tea and other freshly made beverages. The mandatory labels have become a feature on pre-packaged drinks since December 2022.

The labelling system is one measure to lower sugar intake. The National Nutrition Survey Singapore 2022 found that sugary drinks alone are responsible for 52 per cent of daily total sugar intake.

Before the Nutri-Grade rule kicked in, teenagers, like my friends and I, would usually order bubble tea with 75 per cent – or even 100 per cent – sugar and extra pearls. A typical bubble milk tea with 100 per cent sugar contains 102.5g of sugar; one canned energy drink popular with teens can contain as much as 56g. That’s way more than the recommended 25g for teens.  

WHEN SUGAR CONTENT IS ON FULL DISPLAY

With the sugar content now on full display, some teenagers I spoke to seemed more mindful about making the healthier choice of lower sugar levels and a single serving of the high-calorie tapioca pearls.

When asked what had changed, a 16-year-old student told me: “It makes me think whether I need more sugar, considering that the pearls themselves are also sweet”.

Sharing the experience among friends may also create a domino effect. A 15-year-old said: “My friends began ordering healthier drinks according to the markers, so I decided to try it myself and realised that less sugar and toppings created an equally tasty drink”.

But a young 13-year-old teen also told me: “I never really noticed the markers, I just wanted to get my favourite drink”.  

Of course, anecdotes are not trends. Whether the new labelling really affects teenagers’ drink choices will require more rigorous research: Will teens who choose healthier options actually stick with them in the long term? Perhaps those who crave sugary drinks as comfort food will end up trying and liking lower sugar levels too.

STARTING WITH LESS SUGAR

Even without changing their drink orders, teens may already be making healthier choices due to the labelling policy.

F&B businesses have reportedly been trying to adjust their drinks and fit more under a healthier Nutri-Grade. In a CNA report, local bubble tea brand LiHo said it had used a healthier formula in a new range of drinks and adjusted its menus to reduce the number of D-grade beverages (those with the highest sugar and/or saturated fat content that are barred from advertising in Singapore).

Most importantly, the bubble tea chain said it had reduced its sugar levels - an element of customisation often offered in freshly prepared drinks in Singapore - with 100 per cent sugar level available now based on what used to be 50 per cent.

For teens who still want to indulge in their favorite drinks, the pre-adjusted options already help them to become healthier without changing the way they order, a good outcome given how many consume such beverages.

LEAN INTO TEENS’ DESIRE FOR AGENCY

Many parents mindful of their children’s health may try forcing them to eat more healthily, but that could make teens feel insecure and pressured.

Research suggests young people want to express their independence and make their own choices about food. So the correct environment and messaging could help teens make better informed choices.

For example, bubble tea is a form of personalisation. Teens get to choose the flavour and toppings they want. They may be more open to try lower sugar levels if they see it as a customisation, just with some added health information.

Framed as the freedom of choice - not a forced intervention by parents or having to abstain from their favourite drinks - the change in mindset and behaviour could remain for a longer time.

Certainly, more can be done to help teens, such as tailoring communications that help them better understand the need to avoid sugary drinks. Putting things into perspective, like describing the 34g of sugar in a can of classic Coke as one and a half times their recommended daily intake of sugar, can be illuminating for a growing teenager.

Yet, teens are also prolific users of social media with exposure to foreign influencers and advertisements that are not subject to policies in Singapore. Teens are faced with the challenge of eating healthy or following in the footsteps of their idols.

This highlights the importance of keeping teens informed about healthy eating. It may not be possible to fully control what they absorb online but it is possible to make sure they always know the importance of healthy eating and how to achieve it.

The new Nutri-Grade labels in Singapore have the potential to change teenagers’ tastes and preferences for a healthier lifestyle - both indirectly in terms of industry reformulating their recipes and providing healthier options and directly in making teens more mindful of their independent choices.

Aditeya Das is a grade 11 student at UWCSEA, Dover, Singapore.